In addition, most of the high-end dining options I wrote about in a previous piece on Baja have an excellent non-wine selection. If you get the chance to visit northern Baja I recommend trying the following places for a sampling of all the good libations on the menu.

Wineries

Vena Cava

 

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The tasting room is cool — its roof is made of the innards of an old wooden ship — but the party is really going on outside at Troika, the winery’s food truck, open for lunch and early dinner. Here, a handful of picnic tables painted in bright yellow, aqua and pink are filled with wine drinkers sipping on Vena Cava’s cool and fruity rosé or their new line of minimal intervention wine— the Pet Nat is fab. The menu’s star is the pork belly in a miso and beer glaze with tzatziki and flour tortillas, but everything was good. This place is perfect for day drinking, especially if all you have to do is walk up the hill to your room at their hotel, Villa de Valle.

Rancho San Marcos, Toros Pintos S/N, Ejido Francisco Zarco, Ensenada 

Clos de Tres Cantos

 

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Tres Cantos is like a trip to see your philosophical aunt and uncle who have renounced city life and now tipsily recite poetry in the middle of the afternoon. Owners María and Joaquín are relative newbies in Valle de Guadalupe, but their space — built beautifully with recycled materials and following all kinds of esoteric architectural principles — feels authentically Valle. A tasting on the back patio while metallic ribbons flutter in the vineyard is almost magical. Try the Chenin Blanc, which is a burst of salty sunshine, or a bottle of Tu Mismo, a red blend with hints of tobacco and smoke. They also have a small restaurant on-site that I didn’t get to try but have heard is fantastic.

Carretera Tecate-Ensenada Km 89.5 S/N, Villa de Juárez

Bruma Wine Garden Tasting Room

 

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This tasting room has just opened, and while it’s not as well-known as some of the others in town, if Bruma’s other eating and drinking establishments are the measure, it’s going to be a thing. It feels like a bar for rich equestrians: leather couches, a long wooden bar, cozy lighting, giant stainless steel tanks to one side. You can try the whole of Bruma’s incredible line here and if you get through them all they have additional bottles from around the valley because they like to spread the love.

Carretera Tecate–Ensenada, Km 73.5, Francisco Zarco, Ensenada

Vinos Pijoan

 

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The Pijoan tasting room in the vineyard is the most low-key of any that I found in Valle and maybe that’s one of the reasons I loved it so much. A million dogs follow you to your seat on the covered back patio and you can have a languid afternoon-long tasting with no one pushing you to go. 

Pijoan boasts old-school blends that are big and bold and new minimal intervention wines that are young and fresh. I loved the entire line, but it was the vermouth that blew me away. Mistela, made from a collection of wild herbs from the area, is like taking a direct sip of Valle de Guadalupe, while Vermouth Pijoan is made in a classic style that is warm, cinnamony and just right for sipping on the rocks.

Carretera El Tigre Km.13.5, Rancho San Marcos, Poblado Francisco Zarco

Finca la Carrodilla

 

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This absolutely stunning vineyard way out in the middle of nowhere has a tasting area that includes ground level tables amid the vines as well as an upper deck overflowing with greenery and a long family-style table under an arbor of plant life as well as a handful of high-back tables. You can do a quick tasting of their line of fully organic wine for about US $30 and the views of the surrounding organic vineyards are stunning.

Parcela 99 Z1 P14 Ejido El Porvenir, Francisco Zarco

Cocktail and mezcal bars

Matilda

 

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Without a doubt, the best cocktails I had in Ensenada were found in this tiny bistro-style dining room with photos of famous women on the walls and red-checked tablecloths. The La Princesa y El Sapo is the perfect balance between buttery and sweet with sage and huacatay — a South American marigold — and a garnish of spicy nasturtium leaf. The Sakura, which comes with a pea sprout balanced on the rim, is tart with a bit of bitterness and musky with rose water. Matilda Mi Corazon is creamy and smoky… I could go on.

Avenida Octava 106, Zona Centro, Ensenada

Santo Tomas Plaza

 

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Now a collection of restaurants, shops and bars, the Santo Tomas plaza once housed part of the winery’s facilities that was subsequently moved outside of the city limits. There’s a bevy of places here that I like: the moody Loca bar with high ceilings and low neon lighting, and La Bête Noire which feels like a bar just appeared inside a thrift store. Tanto Santo is the place for a slice and a beer, and the Alta Baja Ceveceria has a dozen or so craft beers on tap.

Avenida Miramar 666, Zona Centro, Ensenada

Bloodlust

 

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The ultimate Baja setting, with outdoor fire pits roaring, picnic tables and an outdoor stage that hosts local music acts. The main bar and restaurant area is supposed to look like a drop of wine, but the locals call it the “garlic building.” Its bulbous, organic lines reminded me a little of the Smurf village.

Inside are window seats stuffed with pillows and tapestries, as well as regular tables for sipping a cocktail or getting a small bite. These are the second-best cocktails in Ensenada for me: the Whyskey Sour and El Conde Nado with Pijoan vermouth! were two of my favorites.

Doña Emilia LT 13-2 San Marcos, Ensenada

Hussong’s Cantina

 

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It’s kind of a shame more visitors to Valle de Guadalupe don’t hang out in Ensenada. There are a handful of great bars and restaurants there that are endlessly more economical than Valle and still stellar. One such place is Hussong’s, which definitely has a little old-school cheesiness to it, but the kind that I love. 

Hussong’s is famous for its margaritas, but even more famous for being a good hangout for everyone: young, old, local and tourist. The musical trios that roam the bar hall can help you fall in love or drown your sorrows depending on the tune you choose. As one of the oldest establishments in town, it’s an obligatory stop.

Avenida Ruiz 113, Zona Centro, Ensenada

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Of the 157 restaurants in Mexico honored by Michelin in Mexico, 13 are located in Los Cabos. However, these aren’t exactly spread out evenly around the municipality.

Cabo San Lucas

The Land’s End city has a terrific taco scene and a few great restaurants. But it’s no coincidence most of the Los Cabos restaurants that received Michelin Guide recognition are found in the Tourist Corridor — (home to many luxury resorts and their signature eateries —) and San José del Cabo, the showplace for the region’s superb farm-to-table dining.

Los Tres Gallos

Michel Zermeño and Fabiola Sánchez founded this downtown gem in 2010. It’s named after a trio of movie stars from Mexico’s Golden Age of Cinema:  (Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, and Javier Solís, collectively Los Tres Gallos). It’s the premier local stop for traditional Mexican cuisine. A second restaurant has since opened in the Gallery District of San José del Cabo.

 

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Michelin Status: Recommended
Leona Vicario esquina 20 de Noviembre

San José del Cabo

Rodrigo Esponda, director general of the Los Cabos Tourism Board, recently noted via Travel Pulse Canada: “We are the number one region in Mexico that produces organic vegetables and fruit. Everything is for local consumption; we don’t export. We have sustainable fishing and farming, so the combination and innovation of the chefs really make our culinary scene unparalleled.”

Nowhere is that fact more evident than in San José del Cabo. The region’s acclaimed farm-to-table dining style was pioneered at restaurants just outside the city, like Flora’s Field Kitchen and Acre in Ánimas Bajas. It continues to be spotlighted in the popular downtown Gallery District, home to great art galleries and many of the area’s best restaurants.

Acre

A farm-to-table gem that’s as remarkable as the treehouse accommodations set on the property. The cuisine, contemporary Mexican with some global influences, is crafted from ingredients grown sustainably on the farm or bought from local fishermen or other local farmers. 

Michelin Status: Green Star, Recommended
Ánimas Bajas

Flora’s Field Kitchen

With an outdoor dining area overlooking the 25-acre farm from which so many ingredients are sourced (meat comes from a nearby ranch), Flora’s Field Kitchen is the most iconic of the region’s farm-to-table restaurants and perennially the most popular. This place is always packed and with good reason.

Michelin Status: Green Star, Bib Gourmand
Ánimas Bajas

Lumbre

Chef César Pita’s Lumbre is one of several contemporary restaurants in San José del Cabo’s downtown Gallery District where the region’s incredible diversity of fresh seafood and organic produce is displayed. “It’s a Mexican and live fire concept,” notes the Michelin Guide, “with global influences where creativity and originality reign supreme.”

Michelin Status: Recommended
Calle José María Morelos 162

Omakai

The history of Japanese cuisine made from Mexican ingredients in Los Cabos dates back to 1994 when Nick-san invented it. However, per the Michelin Guide, Omakai is now the foremost proponent of this style, thanks to its flawless execution and superb fresh local seafood. 

Michelin Status: Recommended
Ignacio Zaragoza 1311

Ruba’s Bakery & Bistro

Ruba’s backs up its pastries with more substantial bistro fare like the chef’s creative tasting menu prepared during the Gallery District’s weekly Art Walk. 

Michelin Status: Recommended
José María Morelos 8

Tourist Corridor

It shouldn’t be surprising that many of Los Cabos’ best restaurants are found on the premises of in luxury resorts. That’s where all the celebrated chefs come from. The first big names like Larbi Dahrouch and Charlie Trotter were brought in 20 years ago by One&Only Palmilla. 

More recently, it has been superstar chefs like Enrique Olvera and Sidney Schutte,  two chefs with Michelin Guide credentials, who  that have helped elevate the overall quality of Los Cabos cuisine at resorts like The Cape, A Thompson Hotel, and Grand Velas, respectively. 

Árbol

Las Ventanas al Paraíso was the first of the modern luxury resorts in Los Cabos and it remains a benchmark for elegance and exceptional food and drink. Árbol doesn’t stint on the elegance, with Beluga caviar and Maine lobster among many luxury items on the menu. But it’s also one of the area’s most cosmopolitan eateries, thanks to Indian curries and other Asian culinary specialties.

Michelin Status: Recommended
Las Ventanas al Paraíso, Carretera Transpeninsular Km 19.5

Carbón Cabrón

The name itself is reason enough to visit. A grill aficionado’s idea of heaven, with wood-fired specialties from chef Poncho Cadena. These include the expected meat and seafood cuts, plus exquisitely grilled vegetables. 

Michelin Status: Recommended
El Merkado, Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 24.5

Cocina de Autor

Eight to 10-course tasting menus highlight the experience at Cocina de Autor, Dutch master chef Sidney Schutte’s signature restaurant at Grand Velas, and the only restaurant in Los Cabos granted a coveted Michelin star. 

Naturally, it’s hard to interpret giving the only star to a European chef as anything but a backhanded compliment to the region’s cuisine. 

Michelin Status: One Star
Grand Velas, Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 17

Comal

Stylish decor, Sea of Cortezés views, and first-class cuisine courtesy of chef Yvan Mucharraz — formerly of Capella Pedregal — headline the attractions at this picturesque seaside restaurant at the luxurious Chileno Bay Resort & Residences.

Michelin Status: Recommended
Chileno Bay Resort & Residences, Caretera Transpeninsular Km. 15

Manta

Enrique Olvera, whose Pujol in Mexico City was one of only two restaurants in Mexico to receive two stars, opened this signature eatery at The Cape, A Thompson Hotel in 2015. The focus is on local ingredients, but with a pan-Pacific outlook. 

As the chef told me when the restaurant had its grand opening: “Baja has a Pacific influence, so that’s why we’re playing around with Peruvian and Japanese flavors; because a sashimi, a tiradito, and a Mexican ceviche have a common language.”

Michelin Status: Recommended
The Cape, A Thompson Hotel, Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 5.5

Metate

A Bib Gourmand selection due to its combination of quality and value, Metate is “welcoming and attractive,” per Michelin, serving up Mexican specialties in a charming outdoor setting just outside Cabo San Lucas. 

Michelin Status: Bib Gourmand
Avenida Crispin Ceseña S/N, El Tezal

Nao

Alex Branch is one of the most talented and well-traveled chefs in Los Cabos having worked with Enrique Olvera at Manta and helmed Acre — two other Michelin-recognized restaurants — before opening the Mediterranean-style Nao.

Michelin Status: Recommended
El Merkado, Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 24.5

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

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The long-awaited project helps to address a major cross-border pollution problem by improving the treatment of wastewater flowing north from the Tijuana River.

State Treasurer Fiona Ma Urges Congress to Support Cleanup Measures in Tijuana River Valley Watershed Following Trip to San Diego County: https://t.co/hH2r8wjobB pic.twitter.com/5oYiU3vaG7

— Fiona Ma, CPA (@fionama) October 17, 2024

Wastewater from the city of Tijuana is supposed to be diverted, treated and discharged into the Pacific Ocean before entering the Tijuana River Valley in southern California. The city’s sewage treatment facilities are outdated and overwhelmed, however, leading to a clog in the system that pushes an unsightly mass of sewage and debris north of the border, particularly impacting Imperial Beach in San Diego.

As a result, Imperial Beach is considered one of the United States’ most polluted beaches nationwide.

“No more excuses and no more delays,” Fox 5 reported Democratic Congressman Mike Levin saying. “They now have all the money they need and all the money that they’ve said is necessary to get this plant done.”

The new funding package is expected to double the San Diego facility’s capacity to 50 million gallons a day within an estimated five to seven years. 

Over the last five years, more than 100 billion gallons of sewage and waste have reportedly run into the Tijuana River Valley. San Diegans have been calling on the government to address the worsening pollution for years, hoping it will lead to the eventual reopening of Imperial Beach. 

In January, Baja California officials broke ground on work to reconstruct and modernize Tijuana’s existing wastewater treatment plant in San Antonio de los Buenos. The upgrades are part of an estimated US $500 million binational project financed by the North American Development Bank, an entity funded and run equally by the federal governments of the U.S. and Mexico to provide financing for infrastructure projects.

New 450-meter barrier takes on Tijuana River Valley trash

Also in December, the state of California launched an innovative trash-collecting project with federal funding of $4.7 million. A trash boom measuring 137 meters (450 feet) in length and consisting of 150 individual sections tethered together has been anchored to both sides of the Tijuana River.  

The boom is expected to help gather particle pollution close to the source outflow and stop waste from reaching the ocean, with the first phase of the project running to 2027.

“California is working with our local and federal partners to address the ongoing Tijuana River crisis,” California Governor Gavin Newsom stated. “This project to stop trash from clogging the river is part of an all-of-the-above approach we’re taking to help protect Tijuana River Valley communities.”

Oscar Romo, the Project Director at Alta Terra, proposed the project around two decades ago. The large, floating boom is designed to adapt to the changing topography of the river valley.  

“The valley changes constantly every year after the storms,” Romo said. “All the hydraulic models that have been done have to be redone because they changed this year,” NBC San Diego reported Romo saying. “We are prepared, and we have started mapping the valley with a drone that produces lighter images, so we would have an exact three-dimensional map of the valley before the storms, during the storms and after the storms.” 

While the boom project doesn’t address the sewage issue, it will go hand in hand with the wastewater treatment plant expansion to tackle water pollution on both sides of the border.

With reports from Fox 5 San Diego, Surfer, NBC San Diego and Axios

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Whale watching in Loreto

This targeted schedule, it must be noted, is only because of the brevity of the blue whale season in Loreto, which lasts from January through March. But if you’re going to go whale watching, don’t you want to see the largest creature ever to have lived on Earth? These 200-ton cetaceans can weight as much as 33 elephants and are also quite mysterious and shy. 

The shyness is understandable. By the middle of the 20th century, blue whales had been hunted almost to extinction. They’ve since been protected internationally and enjoy a double layer of national protection in Mexico, where the largest known population group of the species comes to breed each year. Not only are there strict guidelines for the sizes of boats that can approach them, the number of passengers they can carry and the distance they must maintain from the whales, but their breeding grounds are within Bahía de Loreto National Park. 

Other whale species can also be seen in Loreto, but the blue whales are the primary attraction.

Whale watching in Los Cabos

The humpback is king in Los Cabos, where the whale-watching season runs from mid-December to mid-April annually. Yes, many of the same species of whales seen in Loreto can be seen in Los Cabos as they make their way to shallow water coves and bays around the state to breed; beaked, bryde’s, fin, gray, minke, orca, pilot, sei and sperm whales, to name a few.

But the humpbacks are the most commonly seen locally and that’s good for tour operators. Why? Because 40-ton humpbacks engage in some incredible behaviors, most notably breaching for epic splashdowns. No, this is not to put on a show – although it is awe-inspiring – but rather is a communication device that other whales can hear. The bigger the splash, the further the message travels. 

Of course, that’s not the only way whales communicate. They also have a language with syntax and grammar, achieved through clicks and vocalizations. Often called whale songs, these languages are specific to species, with accents varying regionally. If you’re interested in this fascinating aspect of whale behavior, choose a tour that offers hydrophones so you can listen in.

Gray whale watching on the Pacific coast of BCS

Gray whales are the main attraction on the Pacific Coast side of BCS, thanks to three primary breeding spots: Bahía Magdalena, Lagunas San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre, the latter two of which are within the protected Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve. 

It was reported last year that gray whale numbers had increased significantly in the Vizcaíno Reserve during a single year, a very positive sign. Even better, a greater rise has been generally noted in the Pacific gray whale population, which has climbed by 33% since 2022. Over 19,000 gray whales are estimated to be in the Pacific now, with some 25,000 gray whales being born in BCS alone over the past three decades. 

That’s great news for this remarkable species, which makes what is thought to be the longest mammalian migration, traveling from Arctic summer feeding grounds to warm winter breeding grounds in BCS, where they remain from late December to April each year. In fact, a gray whale holds the record for the longest whale migration, traveling over 14,000 miles round-trip between Russia and Cabo San Lucas in 2011. 

Gray whale watching in Magdalena Bay

Crispin Mendoza, also known as the “Whale Whisperer,” is the godfather of whale watching in Magdalena Bay, having begun taking out tourists as far back as 1970. That was two years before the first whale-watching protections were put in place by the Mexican government. Today, his family-owned company, Magdalena Bay Whales, remains one of the best local tour operators. 

Whether it is simply 50 years of positive interactions, gray whales are often extraordinarily friendly in BCS. It is the breeding season after all, with plenty of 2,000-pound newborn bundles of joy, and it probably helps that while these whales are in their breeding grounds they’re safe from predators like orcas, who avoid such shallow water. However, that doesn’t make it any less special when these enormous creatures approach pangas and invite interactions. 

It’s not something that can be scripted or expected. But it does happen occasionally, making experiences in Magdalena Bay and the Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve far more intimate than those in Los Cabos or Loreto. But all rate as bucket-list adventures. 

Whale watching in the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve

Vizcaíno, a federally protected biosphere reserve since 1988, is an amazing place, and not just because of the whales. With over 9,800 square miles, it’s the largest wildlife refuge in Mexico (indeed, in all of Latin America) and a sanctuary for a wide variety of species, from desert foxes and the peninsular pronghorn antelope to endangered sea turtles and 192 different kinds of birds. 

During the winter months, though, gray whales and their calves are the focus of most visitors. Of course, it bears noting Magdalena Bay and other BCS sites aren’t exactly Los Cabos when it comes to resort and lifestyle options. Neither is Loreto, for that matter, but at least it has the superb Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto resort and world-class golf at TPC Danzante Bay. 

However, some adventure companies offer package deals, with whale-watching excursions in Los Cabos and Pacific Coast lagoons like San Ignacio. Baja Expeditions’ Ultimate Whales package, for instance, is an eight-day trip that starts from Cabo San Lucas after an afternoon of whale watching, then proceeds to La Paz for swimming with whale sharks and continues on Laguna San Ignacio in the Vizcano Biosphere Preserve for camping and gray whale encounters. Then, it’s back to Cabo. 

Naturally, such packages are expensive. But you aren’t obliged to book your own hotels or motels along the way. Everything is taken care of, from hotels, yachts and glamping to food and drinks— unforgettable moments, too.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

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And lest you think Sectur-BCS is trying to rope in unsuspecting tourists, even The Oceanic Society — based in California, which boasts its own whale-watching season — describes the coast off the Baja California Peninsula as “one of the best places on earth for whale watching.”

In part, this was made possible by Mexico’s decision to create the San Ignacio Lagoon Nature Reserve in 1972 in Baja California Sur (after a chance encounter that year between a gray whale and a local fisherman named Francisco Mayoral) and its subsequent designation of the lagoon as a whale sanctuary within the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve in 1988.

These actions helped the gray whale population recover from near extinction such that they were removed from the endangered species protection list in 1994.

Human-whale encounters

At the end of each summer, up to 1,500 California gray whales leave the cold Alaskan waters and journey to the warmer climes off the coast of the Baja California Peninsula, arriving by early December and remaining there for about three months.

Here, whales mate, give birth and nurse calves conceived the year before, attracting tourists eager to see the world’s largest mammals up close. 

The Oceanic Society explains that the unique geography of the peninsula and the diverse marine topography, which ranges from protective shallow lagoons to deep trenches rich with food, attract over 30 different species of whales and dolphins.

As a result, the National Resources Defense Council has referred to San Ignacio as “the last undisturbed breeding and calving lagoon” for the gray whale. Along with the nearby Scammons Lagoon (or Ojo de Liebre, near Guerrero Negro) and Magdalena Bay, these are the only places in the world where gray whales give birth. What makes the experience even more spectacular is that gray whale mothers regularly seek out human interaction, according to one tour operator. 

The revival of the gray whale population has generated a thriving, heavily regulated and dedicated ecotourism industry, according to the BBC.

On its website, Baja EcoTours writes that the mothers “approach our boats to present their newborn calves to us while encouraging visitors to scratch their heads, back, and baleen as they lounge around our boats.” Another firm, Baja Expeditions, describes the San Ignacio Lagoon as “whale central,” where the gray whales participate in “human-watching and interaction.” 

Protecting the whales

Mexico’s federal and state governments promote responsible tourism when whale-watching which is also possible farther south in Jalisco and Oaxaca.

Baja California Sur regulates the industry by issuing permits to tour operators and encourages tourists to rely exclusively on official operators. 

Additionally, whale-watching is only allowed in specified areas of the protected whale sanctuaries, and there are strict rules: 

• Only 16 pangas (small fishing boats) are allowed at a time
• All boats must turn off their motors when whales are nearby
• Boat operators are prohibited from chasing or pursuing the whales
  

Although Baja California is best known for its gray whales, sightseers can also catch a glimpse of blue whales, fin whales, humpbacks, and even sperm whales feeding in the rich waters of the Gulf of California on the eastern side of the peninsula.

With reports from Tribuna de San Luis, Noro, BBC and The Oceanic Society

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From sprawling countryside grills to intimate bistro-style restaurants and street food stands, there is a vibe for any eater, but come prepared to eat a lot and spend a lot. If you’re ready to go, here are some of my favorite places in northern Baja that you don’t want to miss. 

Fine dining in the Valle 

Fauna

 

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Walking in after dark, wood smoke drifted out to meet us at Fauna. The warm glow of the firepits and the low-lit Edison lightbulbs added to the rustic romance. Sitting down at the long, family-style wood table, the first dish, a fresh oyster in smoked tomato water, started everything in my body humming.

The ceviche with chile toreado, mayo, cucumber and mushrooms was not watered down for anyone’s palate: its heat lingered in the back of the throat long after each bite. The rabbit and celery root chocochoyotas were mild but salty, the squash seeds give the dish a touch of nuttiness.

Serendipitously, I found myself sitting next to chef David Castro, who told me his food doesn’t fit into any category, which is true — it transcends them all and leaves you wanting more.

Carretera Tecate–Ensenada, Km 73, Francisco Zarco

Lunario

 

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This is true farm-to-table: diners walk through Lunario’s massive vegetable gardens to get to the restaurant. It’s the mix of flavors and textures that makes Chef Sheyla Alvarado’s food stand out. There are no power punches here, just a subtle blend of things that has you savoring and questioning each exquisite bite. 

The crushed sage on the tomato salad that was our first dish was delicate and mouth-opening, and each dish that followed only got better. The striped bass brought a cornucopia of textures: crunchy skin, the slight chalkiness of the grilled blue corn kernels, baby soft panela cheese, plus an ultra creamy sauce that blends poblano chili, epazote and fish broth. We skipped the wine pairing but some wine-obsessed friends said that this was one of the best pairings they have ever experienced… anywhere.

Camino Vecinal Parcela 71 Fracc. 3 Lote 13, San Marcos, El Porvenir

Damiana

Chef Esteban Lluis had to move around a little bit in Valle de Guadalupe to find the right home for his project. Damiana’s current location on the Viñedos de la Reina winery pairs well with the laid-back fine dining feel of his food. 

Under the Brazilian pepper trees, diners go one by one through Chef LLuis’s tasting menu with wine pairing. The tetela stuffed with requesón cheese and bean puree is creamy with slight tang from the purslane garnish, topped with a salty chicatana ant salsa, roasted abalone and a cured egg yolk. The sea urchin gazpacho, made with almonds and geoduck clam, is perfectly cool and fishy. Everything was thoughtful and delicate.

Carretera Tecate–Ensenada, Km 71

Finca Altozano

The experience of sitting out on the deck of Chef Javier Plascencia’s Finca Altozano, surrounded by the vineyards and slicing into a perfectly grilled prime rib or oak-grilled quail while sipping a glass of Valle de Guadalupe red feels quintessentially Baja. Brought to you by famed, Finca proves Plascencia hasn’t lost his touch.

Carretera Tecate–Ensenada, Km 83, Ejido Francisco Zarco

Villa Torél

 

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When a restaurant is the Monday night hangout of people in the food industry you know it has it together. The setting at Villa Torél gives oasis vibes with views of the distant mountains just beyond the vineyards of the Santo Tomas winery, where it is located. 

The ambiance is lovely but not overly fussy. The beef tongue pastrami was seasoned just enough to overwhelm any gaminess and razor thin for an excellent texture. The charred carrot with citrus cream and duck au jus was deceivingly simple, but so decadent I could have eaten plate after plate of just that. The fideo seco with fried calamari with a squeeze of lemon? Perfection.

Carretera 3, Km 94.7, Villa de Juárez

Easy eating for less fancy days

Bruma Wine Garden

 

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Just because this is the more casual spot at Bruma Wine Resort doesn’t mean its menu has been regulated to an afterthought. It’s obvious that Chef Castro wants diners to walk away impressed no matter which one of his restaurants they eat at. 

Just as with Fauna, the acid, salt and umami flavors of the Bruma Wine Garden menu are on point. This is not the fine dining tasting menu of the former, but instead comfort food with pizzazz. For instance the carne apache, an amped up version of beef tartar with black sesame, or the tangy pork jowl sourdough pizza or even the fried chicken and waffles drizzled with maple syrup. This is by far one of the best hotel breakfasts you’ll ever have.

Carretera Tecate–Ensenada, Km 73.5

Cocina de Doña Esthela

 

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I tried to go to Doña Esthela’s three times on a holiday weekend and each time it was absolutely packed with people and I didn’t have the time to wait. When I finally did get there on a regular Tuesday morning I understood why. It’s like what a Cracker Barrel wishes it was: truly rustic and homey, with cowboys and families, antique tea pots sets and black and white photos on the walls.

The northern classics like machaca with eggs and vegetables were absolutely unbeatable. The fresh goat that they made was hands down the best queso fresco I have ever had: salty, moist, dense, cheesy without being gamey. Down-home and revitalizing, I will be back again, if only for the cheese.

Carretera El Tigre–El Porvenir between Km 13 and 14, Rancho San Marcos

Erizo Valle de Guadalupe

 

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This is the new-to-me spot on the Finca Altozano compound and it’s a more casual and quick option than doing a full meal at the namesake restaurant. I had a mouth-watering tripe and fresh tuna tostada with ponzu sauce, baked onion, tomato and cucumber, as well as the cilantro-laden green shrimp ceviche tostada. Both were amazing. 

The salsa was fire, literally and figuratively, and the cocktails went far beyond my expectations for a low-key seafood joint. Lupe is great for lunch out in the country or if you need to slow down after having eaten all day.

Carretera Tecate–Ensenada, Km 83, Ejido Francisco Zarco

Parador Mercedes

 

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The newest project of Chef Diego Hernandez in conjunction with Chef Ana Juncal, Parador Mercedes is easygoing, diner-style eating for breakfast and lunch in the valley. The mollejas (fried chicken gizzards) were fiery, crispy and melt-in-your-mouth delightful and the butter biscuits with fresh pineapple and strawberry jam provided a sweet balance to all that spice and salt. 

The barbacoa was rich with a deep, cinnamon and clove flavor; the meat was pull-apart soft. Slivers of chewy, fatty machaca on top of the omelet with onion and bell pepper created an excellent version of this very traditional northern Mexico breakfast.

Carretera 3, Km 93, San Antonio de Las Minas

Da Toni

This popular local spot in Ensenada is run by actual Italians and it shows in the cooking. The burrata brusetta was so creamy it was almost like dessert. The broccoli rabe with ear-shaped pasta, fresh Parmesan cheese and anchovy was only outshone by some of the creamiest panna cotta I have ever had. 

The place is tiny, with a minuscule kitchen that only fits the four-person staff. A great mid-week treat for some serious carbs.

Av. Riveroll 143, Centro, Ensenada

Lydia Carey is a freelance writer and translator based out of Mexico City. She has been published widely both online and in print, writing about Mexico for over a decade. She lives a double life as a local tour guide and is the author of Mexico City Streets: La Roma. Follow her urban adventures on Instagram and see more of her work at www.mexicocitystreets.com.

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The BCS lawmakers approved several other points of order, including an invitation to Environment and Natural Resources Minister Alicia Bárcena to explain the federal government’s position on the issue to the state Congress.

The BCS deputies characterized the project as a social and environmental disaster waiting to happen as the mining operation would impact two wildlife protection areas, one in each state. The mining operation will require an estimated 9 million cubic meters of water per year, according to Mexicana del Arco’s parent company, Grupo México.

A separate point of order, according to the newspaper El Independiente, calls on the Baja California Congress to reject the El Arco mine project.  The mine could begin production as soon as 2030, El Sudcaliforniano newspaper reported.

The proposed El Arco open-pit mine, possibly extending to 50,000 hectares, has the potential to be one of the largest mines in the world, producing up to 15.5 billion pounds of copper, 3.5 million ounces of gold and unknown quantities of zinc and molybdenum.

In 2021, Grupo México — the world’s fifth-largest copper producer and Mexico’s third-biggest company by market capitalization — said the El Arco mine could produce 190,000 tonnes of copper annually once operations begin. El Sudcaliforniano reported that the mine could likely be operated for 50 years before the minerals are exhausted.

The primary issue prompting the BCS Congress to take action is water usage, but there are other concerns as well.

The El Arco mine is located in the Valle de los Cirios Flora and Fauna Protection Area in Baja California. The water it intends to utilize would impact the El Vizcaíno aquifer, which is primarily located under the adjacent El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve in Baja California Sur.

According to El Sudcaliforniano, BCS lawmakers objected to the fact that Mexicana del Arco was allowed to carry out the water availability study, which was accepted by Mexico’s National Water Commission (Conagua).

Conagua not only accepted the results of the study — which reported water well in excess of historical records — but also created a new aquifer administration entity to manage water taken out of the newly designated “Llanos de Berrendo” aquifer in Baja California.

The BCS lawmakers say the misrepresentation of the water available in the Valle de los Cirios means the mine will actually be siphoning water from the El Vizcaíno aquifer which sits within one of the most arid areas of Baja California Sur and already presents an annual deficit of nearly 500,000 cubic meters, according to Conagua.

In addition to the water issue, the Congress noted concerns over the degradation of soil caused by open-pit mining and the damage to endemic fauna, especially the peninsular pronghorn, an endangered species known as a berrendo in Mexico.

With reports from El Sudcaliforniano and El Independiente

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Expect these trends to continue rising in 2025. Of course, to achieve this, more tourists from new markets must be introduced to the destination. These plans are in the works, with new flights already announced and more being negotiated.

“Connectivity” is the buzzword for 2025

The traditional markets for Los Cabos are all in North America. There are direct flights from 30 cities in the U.S., 16 in Mexico, and 11 in Canada. New flights from Nashville will begin in March — just in time for Spring Break — bringing the number in the U.S. to 31.

But the big news for 2025 (and beyond) will be an attempted expansion into more non-traditional markets around the globe. Currently, there is only one flight from Europe, the Condor flight from Frankfurt, Germany that began service in November 2024 and will run seasonally through April. Seasonal summer service from Madrid (Spain) has also been offered in recent years via Iberojet.

The Los Cabos’ Tourism Trust (Fiturca), has ambitious plans to expand into more European markets between 2025 and 2027 and is also looking to gain footholds in South America and the Middle East. Central America should also be mentioned since, according to FITURCA Director General Rodrigo Esponda, there’s a good chance service from Panama will begin in 2025. 

What about Asia? Yes, tourism officials are interested in this market, too. For example, there was a 500% increase in tourists from Japan in 2023, bringing the number of visitors from that country up to 5,000 for the year. 

Pool, music and lots of fun with #AllInclusive! We are launching a new Riu Pool Party concept at the Riu Santa Fe, in Los Cabos, #Mexico. Every week you’ll get to enjoy themed parties: #JungleParty #WhiteParty #NeonParty and #PinkParty https://t.co/5ooGCFNnbE pic.twitter.com/YGvBSHEiBt

— RIU Hotels & Resorts (@RiuHoteles) May 11, 2018

New hotels & resorts are coming, too

The big news is that Park Hyatt Los Cabos at Cabo del Sol is officially accepting reservations beginning next summer, July 1, 2025. The upscale Hyatt brand is known for its luxurious accommodations, first-class cuisine and fine art collections. 

The Los Cabos version in the destination’s Tourist Corridor is certainly expected to deliver in the luxury department, with 197 rooms, villas, and suites — the latter featuring private plunge pools or terraces — and an enormous 59,000 square-foot spa and fitness facility that will outpace the extensive pampering spas at Grand Velas Los Cabos and Montage Los Cabos, at 35,000 and 40,000 square feet, respectively, as the largest on the peninsula. 

A handful of seaside swimming pools and access to the Tom Weiskopf-designed Cabo del Sol Desert Course should also entice visitors who can afford the rates, which start at US $765 per night off-season.

Other long-awaited high-profile hotels and resorts are tentatively slated for 2025, including a 70-room Soho House & Beach Club at Cabo del Sol, 55-room Amanvari at Costa Palmas, and the 120-room St. Regis at Quivira. However, no official opening dates have been announced for these properties.

Those looking to explore new accommodation options should also note recent openings like the boutique Tropicana Los Cabos, a 68-room, 2-suite Tapestry Collection by Hilton property renovated and remodeled in downtown San José del Cabo, which premiered on November 14, 2024.

Notable events in Los Cabos for 2025

Los Cabos has several high-profile sporting events that draw visitors annually, from fishing to PGA golf and ATP-sponsored tennis tournaments. The schedules for the most notable 2025 events have already been set, with one significant calendar change. 

• Cabo Triple Crown of Fishing: June 19 – 22
• ATP Los Cabos Open: July 14 – 19
• Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore: July 29 – August 2
• Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore: October 13 – 18
• Bisbee’s Black and Blue: October 20 – 25
• PGA World Wide Technology Championship: November 3 – 9
• Cabo Tuna Jackpot: November 5 – 8

The ATP Los Cabos Open, sponsored by Mifel and Telcel Oppo, has returned to the summer after moving up to February 2024 to serve as a lead-in for the Mexican Open in Acapulco. That change helped fellow Mexican Pacific Coast destination Acapulco return to sporting prominence after the devastation wrought by Category-5 Otis in 2023. 

Although judged a success, the two will no longer be held back-to-back. The ATP 250 series Los Cabos Open returns in July, the month it was held from 2016 through 2023. The ATP 500 series Mexican Open in Acapulco, the country’s most important tennis tournament, remains in the usual February/March calendar slot.

The PGA World Wide Technology Championship is also expected to see significant change in the coming years, as the host course shifts from the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal layout at Diamante to the Woods-designed Legacy Course at Diamante either in 2026 or 2027. The year the change occurs will depend on when the Legacy Club, envisioned as a sort of Baja version of Shadow Creek in North Las Vegas, is finished. 

An update on new golf courses

An estimated 5% of Los Cabos tourists are drawn to the destination solely by the region’s world-class collection of golf courses. Eighteen are currently open and up to a half dozen more are expected to open their fairways and greens to the public and private members in the coming years. 

Unfortunately for destination duffers, it doesn’t appear any of these will open in 2025. But for those who’d like to look ahead, 2026 is shaping up as a banner year for golf in Los Cabos. Tom Fazio, whose first course outside the U.S. at Querencia in 2000 has been rated one of Golf Digest’s World’s 100 Greatest, has a second spectacular desert-meets-the-sea style layout set to debut at Querencia in 2026. Woods’ ultra-exclusive Legacy Club course, restricted to only 250 members, is also expected to open in 2026, as is the new Ernie Els-designed course at Oleada (Oleada Golf Links).

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook, and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

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On the occasion of her 43rd birthday on Monday, Spears posted a video on Instagram in which she declared that the paparazzi have “always been incredibly cruel to me” with their “pictures and the way they’ve illustrated me.”

 

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“I know I’m not perfect, at all, by any means, but some of it is extremely mean and cruel,” the pop icon continued.

“And that’s why I’ve moved to Mexico.”

The story was picked up Tuesday by multiple media sources after TMZ published new photos in which Spears is seen landing in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur — reportedly one of her favorite vacation destinations. The photos showed a smiling Spears sporting a white trench coat, black hat and sunglasses.

Monday also marked the day on which her divorce from husband No. 3, Sam Asghari, became legal.

However, in an update posted early Wednesday morning, TMZ wrote: “Despite what she posted on IG, Britney hasn’t actually moved to Mexico. Sources told us she was just saying quirky things online, and she’s actually on a solo birthday trip for a few days.”

In another video posted on her birthday — also criticizing the paparazzi for publishing photos that make her look like she’s wearing “a white Jason mask” — the Mississippi-born, Louisiana-bred artist said, “I’m turning 5 this year. I’m turning 5 years old, and I have to go to kindergarten tomorrow.”

Britney Spears seen looking the healthier and happiest she has been in a long time while dancing at a hotel bar in Los Cabos, Mexico.

This new sighting comes just weeks after her husband demanded she give him a substantial settlement after claiming she physically abused him. pic.twitter.com/lS1wO4g8tj

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) September 9, 2023

Cabo San Lucas is reportedly one of Spears’ favorite vacation destinations.

Nicknamed the “Princess of Pop,” Spears became a star by captivating audiences with her dance moves, innovative videos, catchy songs and fashion.

Her 1998 breakout hit “… Baby One More Time” — included on an album that was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks — launched her to superstardom as a 17-year-old. Then her 2000 hit “Oops! … I Did It Again” solidified her status as a pop icon.

Over the next 12 years, she had more big hits — including “Toxic” in 2003 and “S&M” with Rihanna in 2011 — but controversy became her calling card.

In addition to mental health problems and rocky marriages all played out in the public eye, Spears in 2008 lost control of personal, professional and financial affairs when a conservatorship was granted to her father, Jamie Spears, and other designees. This sparked outrage among her fans and the emergence of the #FreeBritney movement.

In 2021, a court ended the conservatorship, and in 2022, she went on to have a duet hit with Elton John, “Hold Me Closer” — for which the video was filmed in Mexico City and México state.

With reports from E! Online, TMZ, Infobae, Variety and El Universal

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The salad may not be as readily associated with Baja California as the margarita or the Baja-style fish taco, perhaps because its fame spread so rapidly around the globe. But it was created in Tijuana in 1924 at a restaurant run by Italian immigrant Cesare Cardini, and its traditional association with the city has been kept alive by Tijuana’s most famous family of restaurateurs, the Plascencias. In 2024, as the iconic salad celebrated its 100th anniversary, celebrations were held along Avenida Revolución — including the unveiling of a statue of Cardini in the act of making his namesake specialty — only a few blocks from where this signature Mexican dish was first served a century ago.

The birth of the Caesar salad

The original wasn’t the Caesar salad as most think of it today, There were no anchovies, no garlic, no croutons and as with any good Mexican recipe, squeezes of lime rather than lemon juice were used. In total, there were just seven ingredients: romaine lettuce, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a dressing made with olive oil, egg yolk, salsa inglesa (Worcestershire sauce) and lime juice, plus a toasted slice of baguette-style bread placed on top. This eclectic mix, with preparation instructions such as a two-minute time limit on the “coddling” of eggs, resulted in the dish that the Parisian International Society of Epicures declared in 1953 to be “the greatest recipe to originate from the Americas in 50 years.”

How did Cardini, a man who originally hailed from Baveno, Italy, who emigrated to the U.S. along with his brothers for a fresh start and who achieved no great success with his early restaurants in Sacramento and San Diego, achieve something so singularly remarkable in Tijuana? That’s a difficult question, one complicated by the competing claims for credit that often go hand-in-hand with any new dish that acquires “classic” status. 

But if you believe Cardini’s story, as related by his late daughter Rosa, it was simple desperation. On July 4, 1924, the restaurant was packed with revelers celebrating U.S. Independence Day. At some point, running low on almost everything, he was forced to improvise, using what few ingredients he had left to create a salad. Or, rather, to create “the” salad. 

How the Caesar salad conquered the world

There are alternate theories. Some believe, for example, that Cardini’s brother Alessandro, also called Alex, was the true inventor of the salad. A veteran of the Italian Air Force, one version of the origin story has him whipping up the salad for some aviator buddies. Thus, it was called the “aviator salad” before being renamed for his fratello-cum-hermano Caesar. However, according to The Los Angeles Times, this tale came from a Detroit restaurateur named “Monsieur Joseph” Calemme and despite being published by Gourmet Magazine deserves zero credence. Still, several cookbooks have repeated it, and Alex did have chef skills, as he later demonstrated.

But considering who the salad is named for, it’s hard to credit anyone but Caesar himself for the salad’s birth. He died in 1956 but his daughter Rosa backed up his claim to the salad and dressing he began bottling in the 1940s — she later patented it under his name. It’s still sold that way, although she sold the rights to a manufacturing company called Dolefan Corp. in 1988, and it has since been resold to T. Marzetti.

In the early days of Caesar’s restaurant, movie stars like Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Rita Hayworth spread the salad’s fame. Later, so too did Julia Child. The future author and television star visited during her youth and would remember the intense emotion she experienced while eating the salad. Chefs in the U.S. and Europe soon began refining their own Caesar recipes, although it was the popularity of the cookbook “The Joy of Cooking” in the early 1950s that made it a household word. Today, AP reports that an astonishing 35% of restaurants in the U.S. feature Caesar salads on their menus. 

The rebirth of the Caesar salad in Tijuana

A year before decamping with his family to Los Angeles in 1928, Cardini had moved his business from the restaurant on Calle Tercera where his famed salad was created to a new one on Avenida Revolución — the Hotel Caesar came later, in 1931. This is the eatery reimagined as Caesar’s Restaurante Bar in 2010, although it should be noted that the place has been in operation, albeit under numerous owners and with varying degrees of success, for nearly a century. 

It’s hard to overstate how important the Plascencia family, who acquired the historic property, is to the food scene in Tijuana. From “Nana Chela,” who cooked for the legendary Agua Caliente casino in the 1930s and 1940s to Juan José Plascencia, who opened Giuseppi’s, the city and perhaps the country’s first pizzeria in 1969, the family has deep culinary roots in the border city. Grupo Plascencia now boasts five restaurant brands, and the Plascencia’s most famous family member, chef Javier Plascencia — who helped revive Caesar’s fortunes and was one of the founders of Baja Med cuisine at Misión 19 — has seven more of his own that stretch the length of the Baja California peninsula from Tijuana to San José del Cabo.

Caesar’s preserves the original bar and the restaurant is still designed to look as it might have back in 1927. Photos of the restaurant’s long history also adorn the walls, but some things have changed. The namesake salads, for instance, are now made with anchovies, garlic and exactly two croutons. Tableside service, as always though, remains a specialty. This service aspect of the salad has been lost in many locales but is still practiced in Baja California. At Caesar’s, where scores of salads are ordered nightly, waiters make them using wooden bowls and mixing pallets. No one knows why cured wood matters to the finished product, but it certainly seems to. However, high-quality service is the real secret ingredient for this acclaimed Baja food dish.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

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